Library-shelving



D. E. HUNTER. LIBRARY SHBLVING.

0. 597,186. Patented Jan. 11,1898.

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No, 597,186. Patented Jan. 11, 1898 i2 a at "1 57 9 ff, 1 in fl wwwwd W/ZM ZMWWQ @M No Model.) D E HUNTER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3. LIBRARY SHELVING.

Patented Jan. 11, 1898.

UNITED STATES PATENT FF-lCE.

DAVID E. HUNTER, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

'LIBRARY-SHELVING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 597,186, dated January 11, 1898.

I Application filed November 30, 1896. Serial No. 613,888. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DAVID E. HUNTER, of Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvementin Library-Shelving, &c., of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, isa specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

My invention relates to library structure, particularly to'improvements in the shelving standards and stacks.

a One of the problems, especially in estab lishing large libraries, is to provide stacks and standards of the composite variety having extensible and interchangeable parts which shall be light and yet strong enough to support the books. It is very desirable to reduce the weight of the structure to a minimum, and yet the strength must remain sufficient to sustain the enormous weight of books that will be put upon the shelves. Accordinglyl have solved this problem in my present invention by constructing the standards of exceedingly light metal, preferably rolled sheet-steel, these standards receiving the weight in whole or in part under tension instead of sustaining it by compressionthat is to say, I suspend the standards at their upper ends, so that all or most of the weight of the shelves and their loads is hung by the standards from their fixed upper ends instead of being brought upon the lower ends of the standards, tending to buckle and crush the thin material thereof. In fact, by myinvention I am enabled to employstandards of such light weight as would be entirely impossible if the whole weight were rested on the standards from the top downward, being supported by the standards under compression, resting as a dead-weight on their lower ends, as is at present the practice. A portion of the weight may be supported by the lower ends. The standards are connected in sections one below another, preferably by a telescopic connection, means being provided for accurately alining them and for adjusting them toward and from the shelves.

Besides the above my invention also comprehends improvements in the supportingframework or stack structure, including means for quickly and accurately connecting and making it rigid.

A further object of my invention is to provide a shelf that will rise and fall with uniform speed at front and back, one objection to shelving as at present constructed being that one corner will rise ahead of another, thereby binding or wedging the shelf into improper positions. I render this impossible.

My invention also provides that the end supports or supporting attachments of the shelf at one end can not be raised so as to drop the other end.

My invention and the details thereof will be more fully apprehended from the following description and the accompanying claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view showing portions of several standards and shelves operatively mounted and includes a suflicient detail of my improved stack structure to enable my invention to be understood. Fig. 2 is ahorizontal section showing the standard and stack adjustments. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view, in horizontal section, through the middle of one end of a shelf, showing the supporting and alining mechanism thereof, the adjacent standards being shown in crosssection. Fig. t is a vertical section on line 4:, Fig. 3. Figs/5 and 6 are details of the shelf mechanism, looking down at an angle. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a wooden structure embodying features of my invention. Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail in front elevation, showing the standard-racls and supporting and alining devices in modified form. Fig. 9 is a horizontal section in line 9 9, Fig. 11. Figs. 10 and' 14 are enlarged perspective details of the modified devices corresponding to Figs. 5 and 6. Fig. 11 is a vertical section taken on linell 11, Fig. 8. Fig. 12 shows the end of a shelf in perspective. Fig. 13 in perspective 7 A represents the parts shown in Fig. 10 mounted in operative position on a standard.

Referring to Fig. 1, the fioor-beams A A, arranged in pairs, and posts B, the latterbeing shown as composed of T-beams separated by spacing-blocks l3 and bolted together at 1), maybe and are of any usual structure. The floor-beams are arranged in tiers, one above the other, at such distances as it is desired that the floors or mezzanine floors shall come and are arranged side by side at distances corresponding to the length of the shelves. Tie-rods G join these stack structures, as

shown in Fig. 2, where 0 represents a right and left threaded bolt resting on one of the spacing-blocks B and firmly clamped to the right and left threaded rods 0 at each end by nuts 0. This structure permits the stacks or several vertical sets of beams and posts to be rigidly and accurately held apart, as required, the rod C on one side being tightened as the opposite rod 0 is loosened, or vice versa, as it is desired to slightly shift the stack one way or the other; also permitting the stacks to be rapidly and conveniently erected.

D designates the standards. These may be made of sheet metal, single or double, or of any other suitable material, being herein shown as sheet-steel rolled over into .U shape, so as to constitute a holding-surface on each side, being provided with series of teeth or ledges d, constituting racks for the purpose.

The upper ends of the standards D are perforated to receive the sustaining-bolts d, filling-blocks d being fitted into the upper ends of the standards to give rigidity and body to the standards adjacent the bolts. Positioning-nuts d d are turned tightly against the sides of each standard, the bolts (1' being threaded for that purpose, so that the standards can be shifted toward and from the shelves with the utmost precision simply by loosening one nut and tightening the other. The upper end of the filling-block d extends above the top of one standard to telescope within the one above and is perforated or recessed at d to receive a steadying stud or bolt cl, carried by the upper standard. Preferably the bolt d rests loosely in the opening 61 although it may sustain a portion of the weight if otherwise desired. By thus suspending the standards I am'enabled to use light thin material, such as sheet-steel, for the reason that its tensile strength is abundantly sufficient to carry the loads on the library-shelving, although the same standards would instantly crush under a compression strain due to much lighter loads. In connection with these standards I use a specially-constructed shelf-supporting mechanism, the latter, however, being also adapted for use in various other connections.

The shelves E are provided with end grooves e to receive shafts a and pockets 6 for the pinions 6 which work up and down in the racks d.

In order to prevent the pinions e being lifted away from the standards, I have mounted loosely on the shafts 6 clips 6 a (see Figs. 5 and 6) to embrace the edges of the standards, the former clip acting also as a dog, having a tongue 6 to look into the rack d (see Fig. 4) and an operating-arm c lifted by the fingers through an opening c from the under side of the shelf, and both clips having slides 6 extending around behind the standard, as shown in Fig. 3.

The pinions e are mounted to rotate with their shaft, the latter being shown as flattened at 6 Fig. 3, thus permitting the pinions to have a limited movement toward and from each other for the free operation of the mechanism and also accommodating the parts to the contraction and expansion due to changes of temperature.

The dog 2 6 acts as a locking-support at the front of the shelf, and the rear pinion e holds the shelf at the back side. Other lookingmeans may be provided or the two pinions may be used for that purpose.

The clips and their slides e embrace the edges of the standards and cooperate with the rack and adjacent parts to secure the shelf, so that the latter and the standards cannot be pulled apart sidewise, the clips always grasping the edges, and the closed edges along the holes, which form the racks, always cooperating therewith and with the other parts to hold the clips from slipping off from the standards, so that the clips and their slides, together with the rack and the adjacent portion of the standard, herein constitute cooperating securing mechanisms. These and the locking-supports,which engage the lower edges of the racks and support the shelves in adjusted positions, and the means to adjust the shelft'. e. ,the pinions 6 traveling in similar racks dand the means to maint tain it in accurate alinement on its standards-4 e. as herein shown, the rod 6, having said gears keyed to it to turn togetherall combine to firmly hold the shelf in place, while yet permitting its ready and accurate adjustment. A

The main purpose of the pinions c and, indeed, a main feature of my present invention, is the maintaining of the shelf in constant parallelism to itself as it is raised and lowered, so that one corner cannot get ahead of the other. This is a very important feature. As a finger of the hand enters the pocket at e to raise the handle e and disengage the lip e from the rack d, thereby permitting that end of the shelf to fall or to be raised, whatever movement is imparted to the front of the shelf will be correspondingly imparted to the back, for the reason that as one pinion e is turned by the movement of its teeth along its rack it positively turns the other pinion e at the same rate and causes the latter to positively move the adjacent portion of the shelf precisely as the rest of the shelf is moved. The pinions cannot possibly slipv a tooth, as the slides e prevent this.

The pockets 6? may extend entirely through the shelf, as in Fig. 1, or only part way through, as in Fig. 12.

I prefer to mount the shafts e and attached parts loosely in the ends of the shelves, as shown, simply resting the mechanism therein. They may be permanentlysecured or mounted otherwise, however, if desired.

In Fig. 1 I have shown my improvements as made entirely of metal.

In Fig. 7 the standards D are shown as than those mentioned may be made without departing from my invention.

I am aware that it has been proposed to operate an elevator by means of power-gearing engaging racks on opposite sides of a post, and therefore I do not make any claim to include such a device.

Having fully described my inventionfwhat .I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patcut, is-

1. The combination with a library-shelf, its four standards, and codperating securing mechanisms adjacent the four corners of the shelf, of means to adjust the shelf on its standards, and means to maintain it in accurate alinement thereon, substantially as described.

2. The combination with alibrary-shelf,and its standards, of independent means at each end of the shelf to maintain the front and rear sides thereof in alinement, said means comprising a raclnand-pinion connection between the shelf and its adjacent standard, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a library-shelf,and its standards, of a rack-and-pinion connection between the'same at each end of the shelf, said two connectionsbeing independent of each other and maintaining the front and rear sides of the shelf in alinement as one end or the other is lifted or lowered, and means to prevent the disengagement of the pinion with its rack, substantially as described.

a. An adjustable shelf, its standards, and locking means for the shelf, combined with retaining-clips pivotally supported by and carried on the shelf to-hold said locking means at all times in proper relation to said standards, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a library-shelf, and its standards, of a supporting mechanism for said shelf, the latter having recesses in and opening at its ends for the reception of said mechanism, and said mechanism being loosely and removably carried in said recesses, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a library-shelf, of four standards of thin sheet metal,each standard having a rack extending longitudinally thereof and a free edge extending from and parallel to said rack, said shelf being provided at each end with two pinions connected to rotate together, one for each rack, and ,with U- shaped clips to embrace said free edges, substantially as described.

7. A double standard, composed of sheet metal bent into U shape, and provided on its opposite sides with racks, adapted to codperate with pinions of shelves, said two opposite racks extending parallel to the free edges of said U-shaped standard, substantially as described.

8. A plurality of standards in vertical alinement, severally supported at their upper ends to receive their loads under tensile strain, and havin gloose unsupporting connection at their lower ends with the standard below, substantially as described.

9. A plurality of standards in vertical alinement, severally supported at their upper ends to receive their loads under tensile strain, and filling blocks projecting from said upper ends, said blocks having engagement with the lower ends respectively of standards above them, substantially as described.

10. In alibrary-stack,the combination with the supporting beams or members, and the standards, of means to rigidly adjust the latter laterally and relatively to said beams to accurately accommodate their shelves, substantially as described.

11. In a library-stack, posts, supportingbeams arranged in pairs embracing the posts, bolts mounted on said. posts and projecting at their ends through said beams, nuts on said ends, and tie-rods screwing into said nuts beyond said bolts to connect opposite posts and beams, said bolts, nuts, and tie-rods having a turnbuckle arrangement, whereby they may be tightened or loosened on one side or the other of their posts to shift the latter as desired, substantially as described.

12. An adjustable shelf, its standards, and locking means for the shelf, between the shelf and standards, said locking means engaging the front or adjacent face of the standards, combined with retaining-clips supported by and carried on the shelf to hold said locking means at all times in proper relation to said standards, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DAVID E. HUNTER.

\Vitnesses GEo. H. MAXWELL, FREDERICK L. EMERY.

ICC

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